The Book
by ScarlettPlum
Summary: Can a book help Stephanie realize what she truly wants?


**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

* * *

Stephanie sat her coffee mug down and gingerly took another bite of her pop tart as she watched the manila envelope try to push on through under her door. It appeared to now be stuck so Stephanie cautiously tiptoed to the door and checked her peephole. Mrs. Bestler was trying to get up from her crouched position. Stephanie undid the chain and turned her deadbolt just as Mrs. Bestler took a step back towards the elevator. She stopped when she heard the door open. Stephanie reached down and picked up the envelope which was stuffed to the brink of splitting open. Stephanie studied the front and noted there was no address or name. Before she could ask Mrs. Bestler who dropped it off the elderly lady started to speak.

"I just wanted an honest opinion on this book I'm writing. They've cut my food and heating assistance, and I was barely scraping by before. I'm hoping this will be a best seller."

"I didn't know you were a writer."

Mrs. Bestler shrugged her shoulders, "I did a little free-lance in my younger days."

Stephanie hoped she kept the skeptism off of her face. Mrs. Bestler was sweet, but the lady was odd. She wondered when she had time to write what with her other job of elevator riding.

"I get ideas while I'm delivering people to their floors. I like to watch and observe people."

Stephanie smiled as she struggled to pull the manuscript out and her eyes widened when she saw the cover. Observe she had. There on the cover were Stephanie and Ranger. Obviously from their clothing this was a historical book and a romance from the way Ranger had his hands wrapped around her waist and the look of unadulterated love that reflected on her face as she gazed back at Ranger. Even though he had on a white ruffled shirt, he looked very manly and yummy as usual. The shirt was partially opened and revealed Ranger's smooth mocha colored chest. Stephanie's hair was longer with the ringlets hanging over her shoulder and she had on an azure colored satin dress with her ample bosom's spilling out over the top, and her waist tinny. Mrs. Bestler had been very generous.

"Wow, did you draw this?"

"Yes. These are the characters, Stephina Blackthorn and Carlos Rogelio."

"Again wow, this if gorgeous, you're very talented Mrs. Bestler, but my friend Ranger really doesn't like his picture displayed."

Mrs. Bestler studied the picture and nodded, "Then that is not your friend, that is Ricky Martin."

Stephanie snorted; Mrs. Bestler had found a loop hole. Ranger had been mistaken for Ricky before. "Well, he might not see it that way, and it might be better if you changed Stephina's appearance a little. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with my picture on a book cover either."

Mrs. Bestler huffed, "That is not you, that is Stephina Blackthorn. Her hair is obviously much longer! Just forget it; I'll have Mrs. Talipi from 4B be my reader."

Geesh, artists were temperamental. Stephanie considered handing the book back, but thought if she insisted on using their picture, they should probably know what she wrote about them.

"No,no I really would like to read it."

"Well, that's fine then, but this is how I envision them and this is how they are going to stay. It took me longer to draw them then it took to write them. Now I've included an extra copy for your friend if he would like to read it also. I'm hoping to appeal to both the female and male market."

Stephanie bit her cheek to keep from laughing, "Mm-hmn, I hear that men really enjoy a good historical romance every now and then."

"Well, if you throw enough sex in it, they'll read just about anything."

"What! Wait a minute; I have sex in this book?"

"It's not you dear, it is Stephina Blackthorn, and yes she does have a few liaisons with Carlos and Josiah."

"Hold the phone, Josiah. Who is Josiah? And when you say with Carlos and Josiah, do you mean at the same time, because Stephina would never do that. Ever. And Carlos is very particular also. I mean if Stephina came home without her corset and garter, Carlos would find the man that had them and it wouldn't be good."

Mrs. Bestler looked puzzled for a moment, "Josiah Miller, he's another love interest of Stephina's. I don't want to spoil the story for you, so just read it for yourself. I do want an honest opinion when you're finished with it."

* * *

Stephanie was thirty minutes late for work. After Mrs. Bestler had wandered off to the elevator Stephanie had sat on her couch and stared at the book for twenty minutes. She really had done a remarkable job on the cover; it was probably her best portrait ever. Her complexion was flawless, her waist and boobs rivaled Barbie's. She would have to photo shop this for her Christmas cards. Ranger looked his usual handsome self. His hair was almost shoulder length and was left loose. It had been a while since she had seen it like that. His hair now in real life was shorter.

She debated whether to start reading it right away, but chickened out. It was one of those situations where you really wanted to know what happens, but were afraid to see how it all turned out. Let's face it; most things written about her in print weren't typically flattering.

She walked down the sidewalk towards the bonds office wishing she had left the manuscript at home. It felt like it was burning a hole in her Coach bag. She hadn't felt like this about a book since the summer she was in the fifth grade and was sneaking a grownup book to Marylou's in her backpack. They had read it together, their first real knowledge of actual sex. After reading it they realized they had been making Ken and Barbie do it all wrong, and Marylou hadn't needed to learn to do a cartwheel or hand stand to become a mother someday.

Ranger's truck passed by just as she reached the door. It would probably be better to give the book to him without an audience. Walking towards the alley entrance she stood and waited as he walked towards her. He stopped a few inches from her and his lips quirked up in his half smile.

"Feeling playful?"

Stephanie just grinned and stepped in to the alley and crooked a finger for him to follow. She reached in her bag and pulled out the manuscript and handed it to Ranger. She watched closely as his eyebrow raised just a fraction. He looked back up at Stephanie and traced his fingers across Stephina's bosom, "Nice."

"Yeah, so is your shirt. I don't think I've ever seen you in ruffles before."

Ranger grinned, "Mildred's going to need to change that."

"Who?"

"M. Bestler, Mildred. Did you think the M stood for Mrs.?"

Yes, "No, I just didn't know her real name. How do you know her real name?"

"Babe."

"Well, anyway, Mildred has written this historical romance, but it's not about us. It is about Stephina Blackthorn and Carlos Rogelio. If you think he looks like you, he's not supposed to. He's supposed to look like Ricky Martin, and she's not changing his looks. She was very adamant about that."

"Babe, this is me in a ruffled shirt and you with longer hair, if she wants to make an issue out of it, I can shoot her."

"Well, let's hold off on the shooting part. She's just trying to supplement her income and come on; it's not likely it'll be published. It's probably not even any good. I like the picture though; I might have to frame it."

Ranger grinned as he flipped through the pages.

"She wants you to read it, to see if it appeals to the male demographic."

"Does it have sex in it?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes, "Yes."

Ranger nodded, "Then it might."

"I just got it this morning, but I'm going to start on it as soon as I get a chance, so when you're done we can discuss _Hidden Desires_."

"Babe, I've made my desires pretty clear," Ranger grinned as he backed her up against the wall.

When his lips touched hers, her desires were quickly coming unhidden .But as usual Ranger seemed to sense when it was getting out of control and backed off and with a couple of soft kisses to her neck and jaw, and pulled away. He took her hand and led her out of the alley towards the office.

"Since you know so much, what does S.L. Marowitz stand for in 3C?"

"Steuben, Lowell."

"You are such a showoff."

"Babe, you've lived there how long, and you still don't know your neighbor's names."

"Well excuse me, if Mildred's book gets published, I'll throw a party and invite everyone. You can come too, and you can wear your pretty ruffled shirt."

"Smartass."

* * *

With only two easy skips to pick up, Stephanie had all afternoon and evening to read the book. She was very wrong when she said it probably wouldn't be any good. She had laughed, cried and sat on the edge of her seat waiting to see if the characters would be killed in their adventures. The end of the book took a turn that Stephanie didn't like though, and she had to force herself to keep reading. When she got to the last page, she angrily wiped the tears away from her cheek and slammed the book on the coffee table.

"Stupid book."

She stood up and paced the floor a few times before deciding she would go for a run. After she had made it a couple of miles her side started hurting so she slowed to a walk. She didn't know why it bothered her so much. Josiah was a good guy, and Stephina did love him, but when Carlos abandoned her and left, she actually felt sick to her stomach. All through the book it was obvious that Mrs. Bestler hinted that Josiah and Stephina would probably end up together, but the cover of the book made Stephanie think that before it was over Carlos would come for her and ask her to leave with him. But instead he came and told her goodbye. It left a bitter taste in Stephanie's mouth and she wished she had never read it.

She had just reached her door when she heard her phone ringing. She grabbed it and was surprised to hear, "Yo."

"Yo back, what's up?" Her voice sounded tense even to her own ears.

"Did you like it?"

Stephanie closed her eyes and sighed, "Parts of it."

Ranger of course already knew which part she didn't like, "Wasn't it enough to know that she was his last thought as he took his last breath."

"I don't know Ranger, was it enough for him?"

"As long as Stephina had a good life Babe, and was safe and happy, yeah it was."

Neither spoke for a second and Ranger finally hung up.

Stephanie slammed her phone down, "You big jerk! How noble of you." She pushed her sweaty hair back out of her face and quietly whispered to herself, "Do you care that it broke her heart?"

* * *

Stephanie tossed and turned for what seemed like hours, before she finally drifted off into a restless sleep. The sound of sobbing woke her up and there in the chair in the corner of her room sat Stephina Blackthorn.

Stephanie sat up in bed and stared at the fictional character who could be her twin.

"Why did he leave me Stephanie? He loved me, but he left me behind, I do not understand."

Stephanie blew out a sigh, "Well, I think Ranger always planned to leave eventually. He has secrets, a dark past. He thinks he has to travel the world alone."

"Who?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Carlos. Don't cry, you got Josiah right? I mean in chapter five, you and Josiah were pretty hot and heavy. And you got to stay near your family, although I gotta tell you, your family is something else, so a little distance might not have been such a bad thing. And hey, you and Josiah had a couple of kids and the most successful farm in your village. You had a good life, you were happy with the way everything worked out weren't you?"

Stephina sighed, "Josiah was a wonderful lover, but Carlos, I don't know if you read chapter eight, but when we made love in the lake under the full moon, it was magical."

"Oh yeah, chapter eight," Stephanie sighed, "I actually read that chapter a few times."

"Then you can understand that we truly became one that night. For me, he was my destiny. In chapter eleven, when I thought I was going to die in that mine cave in, I knew in my heart my Carlos would save me. I love him, I've always loved him. He is my soul mate."

"Yeah, I know, but he made his choice and yours. He left Stephina and I don't have to remind you that he doesn't come back the rest of the book."

"Yes, I know. But what you don't know is that I did not have a happily ever after. I lived each day with a sad heart. I dreamed of him every day for the rest of my life. Please Stephanie, don't let him leave, don't let him leave…don't let him leave."

"Ranger don't go, please!" Stephanie sat up gasping for breath; her eyes shooting to the empty chair in her room.

It took her a few minutes to remember her dream and why she was upset, and then she was just agitated like before when went for a run. Since it was three in the morning now, she jumped out of bed and stomped off into the kitchen and grabbed a Coke out of the refrigerator.

She looked at Rex, "I knew she wasn't really happy. Did he read the same book, how could he have thought she was going to be happy? Who is he to decide what she needs to have a good life. So he goes off alone and dies a tragic death while he thinks about her, and he's fine with that! If he had taken her with him in the first place, she could have knocked the guy out with a whiskey bottle, and helped Carlos to escape and they could have spent the rest of the night doing chapter eight again! What does he know? He wants Stephina to have a happily ever after without him, well not in this fairy tale!"

* * *

Stephanie had to ride in the elevator with Mrs. Bestler for twenty-five minutes, before she convinced her that it was too cliché for Stephina to live and not Carlos. She finally agreed to a rewrite in the story so Stephina could die a tragic, lonely death also. Stephanie was very pleased.

She was also pleased an hour later when she got to Vinnie's and Ranger's truck was parked out front.

"Whoo, even in that girly shirt, that man looks F-I-N-E," Lula said skimming the pages.

Connie looked up, "Oh Steph, Ranger left this for you. He's back with Vinnie, but he said when you came in to give it back to Mildred."

The door opened just then and Ranger walked out and looked at Stephanie, "Babe."

"Ranger," Stephanie replied stiffly," Thank you for returning the manuscript. Mrs. Bestler needed to make a few changes." Stephanie reached for the book from Lula.

"Wait, I saw a leg being draped around a waist, girl I'm still reading this!"

"It was probably the part with Stephina and Josiah. I guess you can read it, but the storyline is changing a little in the book."

Ranger looked at Stephanie and then back to Lula, "Chapter eight and it was Carlos's waist Babe, not Josiah. What are you changing Steph?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Mildred wanted an honest opinion, I gave her one and she decided on some changes. No big deal."

"Well, I don't want to read it if the storyline is going to change," Connie said.

"Well, nobody asked you to, I hate people reading over my shoulder anyway," Lula gasped. "That old lady that pushes the buttons and delivers you to some imaginary department store floor wrote this?!"

Stephanie nodded, "Who knew. I guess it's true what they say, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover."

Ranger ignored the glare Stephanie shot him.

"I'm speechless; I mean to think that old woman could write this. This is some seriously hot sex right here, but at the same time, I'm feeling the love. That is hard to do."

"Oh, wait to you get to the part where she and Josiah are together, talk about some hot sex…," Stephanie stopped when she felt Ranger's hand on the back of her neck.

"Outside."

Stephanie let him march her out to the alley.

"I'm sensing some hostility Babe. You need to say something to me?"

"Nope," Stephanie said popping the p.

"You're really mad at me over a book."

Yes, "No, of course not. I mean it's a good book, it's supposed to stir up some emotions. If you have any to stir. I mean Carlos is sort of a jerk towards the end, but Josiah's character evens it out."

"Good to know you see it that way."

"Well, who couldn't? I mean the way Carlos pushes those two together," Stephanie smacked her hands for emphasis. She stage whispered, "I don't know if you picked up on it, but reading between the lines, I think he sort of got off thinking about Stephina and Josiah together."

"Stephanie," Ranger warned.

"She dies. That's the change. The same chapter Carlos dies, Stephina loses her mind and she can't remember Carlos, but she knows she's missing someone so she goes out looking for them and gets lost in a snowstorm. She freezes to death and the exact moment she takes her last breath, so does Carlos, except he remembers her, but she can't remember him. Tragic huh, and ironic. All of his careful planning and plotting for nothing. She wasn't happy and she died all alone."

Ranger's jaw tensed and he turned and walked away ignoring Stephanie's parting jab of "And he walks away just like in the book."

* * *

The envelope was already waiting under the door the next morning. She still hadn't slept well, but surprisingly enough she hadn't dreamed about Stephina. Maybe she understood why her character needed to die.

Stephanie sat down on her couch, smiling ready to read about Stephina's demise. Her smile quickly faded as she scanned the pages.

"This isn't right. It's the same."

There was an extra chapter though. And after skimming through the chapters, she found it. After Chapter eight, the original chapter nine had been moved up one and the current nine took place immediately after the lake scene.

Stephanie's face turned bright red at paragraph two. She groaned as she read onto paragraph five, and didn't think it could possibly get any worse until she got to paragraph eleven.

She completely bypassed the elevator and took two steps at a time until she reached Mrs. Bestler's apartment. After some insistent knocking; Mrs. Bestler finally opened her door.

"Good morning, Stephanie."

"No, it is not. Yesterday we had agreed on some changes and they're not here, however you've added an entire filler chapter of porn! I've got to say Mildred, I'm disappointed. I haven't even heard of half of this stuff, but I do know paragraph eleven is not historically accurate. Stephina would never, ever have done that! No one in Stephina's village would have done that! "

Mrs. Bestler straightened her back and looked at Stephanie, "Sex sells."

"_Hidden Desires_ was more than sex and you've ruined it! What Stephina and Carlos did at the lake was beautiful, and you could feel their love for one another. Now it feels like a page out of a cheap erotica novel. You've cheapened what Stephina and Carlos had! I mean he should just slap a gold coin down on the rock where he did to Stephina something she would never do, ever! I'm pretty sure that no one did that in the nineteenth century!"

Stephanie looked down at the page again, and then flipped back through the others. "The type is different. Why is the type different?"

When Mrs. Bestler refused to answer, Stephanie knew. She had pissed Ranger off making remarks about Carlos, so he knew this would push her buttons, because he knew how she felt about that kind of sex and he made them do it three times!

"Did Ranger do this?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Okay, let me rephrase the question, did Ricky Martin write this?"

"No."

"Did Ricky Martin drop this off?"

When Mrs. Bestler didn't deny it, she knew. Stephanie laughed, "He copied this out of some porn book didn't he?"

Mrs. Bestler slipped a note out of her pocket.

_Leave Mildred alone Babe, or this can get a whole lot worse._

"You're both blackmailing me? I either shut up and let you write it your way, or you're going to turn this into _Stephina Does the Village_?"

"I certainly hope it doesn't come to that, although the erotica genre does seem to be quite popular right now."

"Fine, have it your way, but you're both wrong. Stephina's story is not being accurately told, but if you both insist on wrapping it up with a nice little bow on it so you can feel better then go ahead."

"Stephanie come inside, I really think we need to talk."

Stephanie sat on the plastic slip covered sofa and looked at Mrs. Bestler's collection of Marie Osmond dolls. She noticed the one with the long brown ringlets and azure ball gown that resembled Stephina's.

Mrs. Bestler came back with a tray of coffee and vanilla wafers.

Stephanie took a bite of the stale cookie and waited for Mrs. Bestler to begin.

"I guess I should feel flattered that you're so invested in the lives of the characters, but I didn't expect this reaction. I seem to have offended you with Stephina's choice and that wasn't my intention. Now Ranger, I mean Ricky had a positive review and your friend Lula liked it."

"Lula called you?"

"Yes, and she said and I quote, 'Elevator lady, you got it going on. I felt the love, I felt the passion, and I felt the pain. I forgot to eat dinner I was so into it'."

"Then you've got a winner, because if it held Lula's attention and made her cry and forget to eat, then it's some book."

"Why don't you like it?"

"This is hard to explain and it's probably going to sound a little weird. When I was a little girl, my best friend, Marylou loved to play house. She was always a mom with two kids, who married a doctor, and I was either Wonder Woman who was visiting from the Amazon in my invisible jet or I was a Viking who married a pirate, and we would go to all of these exotic places and battle villains. I had kind of forgotten about that until I read your book. The first chapters when Stephina was helping Carlos hide out from the sheriff and battle the Baron, made me think back to those times and I realized that Ranger was my real life pirate. I thought Stephina and Carlos made a great team and from the cover, I assumed they would eventually be together in the book. I wanted them to be together, and I wasn't ready to say goodbye to him."

"But this is about Stephina and Carlos, Stephanie."

"Oh cut the crap Mrs. Bestler. Carlos tucks a curl behind Stephina's ear, he places a hand behind her neck or back and Stephina melts into his touch. You were watching us and you were writing about us. We both know how much they love each other, so why wouldn't you let them be together?"

"Did you know that Stephina loved him before he left her?"

"Yes, Stephina's loved him for a very long time. I don't think I fully realized the impact it would have on her when she could never see him again."

"Do you think Carlos knows this?"

"Well he should, but maybe she should have told him instead of assuming."

Mrs. Bestler nodded in agreement.

"But you didn't answer my question from before, you obviously knew, so why did you have her with Josiah?"

"That's a tough question. I knew they both loved each other and secretly desired to be together, but to me Carlos would remain a loner. Josiah would give her the stability she needed, the life that was expected for most young women. Had I have known she was a Viking, I probably would have chosen a different ending. What if we make a few changes and Stephina asks Carlos to take her with him?"

Stephanie sat back against the couch and sighed, "We could do that, but I think Stephina would want him to ask her to go. I think she would want it to be unimaginable to him to live without her. You were right before, he was always going to be a loner. I'm sorry, I got so upset." Then she laughed, "I mean it's a book, I shouldn't take it so seriously."

Stephanie sat her cup back on the tray, "Good luck with the book, I need to go."

Stephanie leaned her head back against the wall of the elevator. Who knew Ranger was her hidden desire. Before she believed it would have been Joe, but now she truly knew and it didn't even matter. Ranger was always going to walk away. She just didn't like it that it was so easy for him. Oh well, why should they both be miserable.

* * *

As soon as Stephanie left, Mrs. Bestler went to her bedroom and replaced Stephanie's chapter nine with the chapter nine she would be sending to Ranger. How Edna knew that the filler chapter would rile Stephanie enough to confront her and then openly talk through her true feelings was beyond her comprehension. So now they had to light a fire under Ranger. Mrs. Bestler dialed the Plum's house and Edna answered on the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Well, it went just like you said it would."

"Of course it did. I know that when we both wrote for _True Confessions_, that I was considered the racier writer, but there are some things the Mazur women will just not do; we keep the dirty talk to a minimum, we don't do spanking, and we never ever do butt stuff. We are however a passionate lover and we more than make up for these other areas with our stamina and flexibility. Stephanie wouldn't appreciate being subjected to all three, fiction or no fiction. Now, while she's simmering, it's time to get the Cuban boiling."

"I have it right here. Stephina is gunned down by one of the outlaws Carlos didn't capture. The story ends with a description of how she looked when they first met, and her laugh. I've added a few more flashbacks from the lake and when they were stranded in the mountains after the avalanche. Then I wrote some questions for a book discussion. Did Carlos make the right choice, would their lives have been better or worse if Carlos had stayed, who was truly the right man for her, and so on."

"Well, we know Stephanie's well-being and safety are his main issues, so I'm thinking reading about her death will be a tough pill for him to swallow. Then with your questions it should get him thinking. Oh, add in a question about how if Carlos could change one part of the story what should it be?"

"Edna, are you positive we're doing the right thing meddling. I did just want to get this published and now it's taken on a whole new direction."

"Now Mildred, when you came to me with your idea for this story, you agreed to also use it to try to bring these two together. I've probably only got a good fifteen or twenty years left and I would like to see these two quit dancing around each other and get to it! Stephanie told you about the pirate right? Well when I first met Ranger, after I found out he was Cuban, I thought to myself, what a pip, the kid found her pirate. What with the Caribbean Sea being so close to Cuba and all, I bet his ancestry tree is full of handsome pirates with nice packages. I was with her when she wished on that star that he would find her. She may have forgotten about it, but I never did. We most certainly are doing the right thing."

"I think I might have decided to go a different direction with my book. If Harlequin does publish it, that's a one book deal, but after talking to Stephanie I've gotten another idea. What if we go another route and call it The Adventures of Stephina and Carlos. It'll be about a little Viking girl who befriends an orphaned pirate and they travel the world looking for treasure. If you look in the YA genre, all you've got are vampires, werewolves, and zombies and witches. They might be able to use a little Viking girl to even it out. We could do a whole series, maybe seven or eight books."

"I could help you with that. Who do you think helped make up all of the stories."

* * *

Two days later, an azure satin gown similar to Stephina's arrived at Stephanie's door with a note that read 7:00. Stephanie wasn't for sure what Ranger had planned, but for the first time since reading their book she felt a glimmer of hope. She spent hours trying to copy Stephina's look, even borrowing an authentic corset from Sally Sweet. Her waist might have been a few inches larger than the book's cover, but she had to be able to breath! She dimmed the lights and lit candles for ambiance. And at 7:00 on the dot, the locks tumbled and in stepped Carlos.

"You're not wearing the shirt."

"I just couldn't do the ruffle thing Babe, does it really matter?"

"Well, it's kind of distracting, with you being shirtless."

Ranger grinned, "Just keep your eyes up here. Now I'm not sure how it happened, but we seem to have some issues between us after reading that book, and I want it resolved now."

"Agreed."

"Now I think you feel that my character has wronged your character, and I just want to stress that I did not write the book, therefore what Carlos did was out of my control."

"Okay, now you're making me feel stupid. I know you didn't write it, but it was so typical of something you would or will do. You left me and you acted like it didn't even matter to you."

"Babe, I didn't go anywhere, you asked me if it was worth it to Carlos and I said that Stephina's happiness and well-being were all that mattered to him. That was my opinion of what I read. Stephina made her choice choosing Josiah. Did you really think Carlos was going to sit back and watch?"

"It's like we didn't even read the same book! Carlos kept pulling away from her, he pushed them together. If he had staked a real claim, she would never have married Josiah."

"Babe, she always went willingly to Josiah. Maybe Carlos thought that was who she really wanted."

"He never asked her, he never gave her a choice."

"Because she had made her choice before Carlos even came along."

"That is not true, okay you know what, this is getting us nowhere. You want me to lay it all on the line, I will. I love you Ranger. I broke it off with Joe two days ago. I'm a little emotional right now, and I'm blaming it on PMS, but when I read that book, I felt like it was real, like it was really us in a different time. When Carlos left Stephina, it felt like you left me and I didn't like it. I'm asking you as Stephanie to please not leave, or if you do to take me with you, because I would want to go. Give me the choice; don't assume what's best for me."

Ranger tugged her to him and wrapped his arms around her.

"Aren't you going to lay it all on the line for me," Stephanie looked up at him expectantly.

"Stephanie, do you seriously think I would go through this for any other woman but you," He took her hand and kissed her palm and placed it over his heart. "What did I tell you about the Bat Cave Steph?"

"That it's forever."

"You want forever with me?"

"Yes."

"Then we have a deal, your mine and I'm yours forever," he ran his finger across the top of her gown. "For four days now, I've been fantasizing about the lake scene, so I want you to use your imagination and pretend your bed is a lake Babe, because we're about to go for a swim." He felt her stiffen as he scooped her up.

"Just the first draft Ranger and I mean it. Don't try to get me to follow you up to the cliffs, because I am not bending over any rock and I'm not saying that stuff. I love you, but there are some things I will not do. I will however make up for it with my Stamina and flexibility."

"I really don't think we read the same book Babe."

"Let's just make it up as we go along."


End file.
